Chapter 70

“The Ice Soul Cold Light Gangqiguanxidaowochengdao …… Haixuganxieguanshimeijishichuanxinyuwo ！”

The White Deer Gate disciples’ lodging quarters were also located within Wuyi Alley; among the immortal sects of Jiuzhen Commandery, the White Deer Gate was quite prominent, so when its true disciples traveled, many would flatter them by offering their own residences, and two female cultivators selected a refined lakeside pavilion for their stay.

At this moment, in the guest chamber of the pavilion, a white-robed cultivator stood with a sword on his back. He appeared to be around twenty years old, yet his body shimmered with flowing light, his magic power manifesting like mist and vapor—his magic power had already attained spiritual awareness, leaving him just one step away from Core Formation, a supreme cultivation base.

He was already on an entirely different plane from ordinary Qi-Channeling cultivators like Zhen Daoren.

Within an immortal sect, such cultivation was already considered outstanding!

“After I cultivated magic power with primordial spirit, I was only one thread away from Core Formation, but in my youth, my nature was unstable, and I took shortcuts through several critical thresholds. If I don’t find a way to make up for it, I have no hope of forming a top-tier elixir.” Master Pei said calmly: “The best method to mend the deficiencies in my foundation is to condense calamity and refine Gangqi … This is the orthodox Daoist method, vastly superior to all other heretical paths.”

“For years, I have been desperately searching for the right calamity and Gangqi to refine.”

Guan Pingxuan smiled: “It’s because Master Pei has such lofty ambitions. Ordinary true disciples are already delighted to form a mid-tier elixir—enough to invite a few companions for a celebration. But Master Pei seeks only a top-tier Primordial Elixir, never willing to give up… Such unwavering determination is truly unparalleled among the younger generation of Jiuzhen Immortal Sect.”

“Sister Guan flatters me! If I had understood this earlier, I wouldn’t have failed to perfect my Foundation Establishment and settled for only a second-grade foundation.”

Master Pei glanced around and said: “I heard your master recently took on a new disciple who possesses a first-grade foundation—better than mine in my youth. Why isn’t she here today?”

Guan Pingxuan laughed: “That girl is sulking with me! I’ll introduce her to you when the opportunity arises.”

“Although Qian the itinerant cultivator isn’t from a noble family, and he’s unfamiliar with the doctrines of several True Persons when discussing Dao… We cultivators should know these things, yet we don’t—clearly he isn’t from a major sect… Yet his spells and magic power are remarkably pure, not heretical, and even his magic treasures are extraordinary.”

“He must have some lineage!”

“Orthodox Daoist methods are widely disseminated—he may have inherited the legacy of some elder, or be a lone disciple of a hermit lineage!” Master Pei said indifferently: “I sent someone to inquire at the City God’s temple, but he was politely refused—I knew it must be so. The City God is under the Dao Academy’s supervision, too timid to offend anyone.”

“Yet he dares not offend that itinerant cultivator—does he think he can offend me?”

Master Pei sneered: “Scaring the City God is enough! I’ve made many Daoist friends within the Dao Academy; suppressing a mere itinerant cultivator is effortless.”

Guan Pingxuan smiled: “Master Pei, give me a favor—let him surrender the Ice Soul Cold Light Gangqi , but offer him fair compensation, won’t you?”

Master Pei pondered for a moment, then nodded: “If the man is sensible, I’ll certainly honor your request.”

He thought again, then clapped his hands: “Itinerant cultivators always lack orthodox Dao texts. Long ago, through fortune, I acquired many Dao scriptures and spell formulas—I can give them to him as compensation. If he’s still unsatisfied, I’ll even risk my uncle’s scolding and let him choose one non-true-disciple technique from our sect. But if he still greedily demands more…”

“Then he brings shame upon himself!” Guan Pingxuan laughed.

“Time is nearly here!” Guan Pingxuan calculated the hour: “I’ve arranged to meet Cui Dan at a stone boat nearby—it’s called the Unmoored Vessel, with splendid scenery…”

“If it comes to a fight, it’s convenient not to be at the county office,” Master Pei nodded.

“If we can avoid damaging the harmony between both sides, that would be best!” Guan Pingxuan smiled faintly.

“By the way, Master, this man is close to Cui Dan of the Qinghe Cui Clan… If things turn hostile, it might get complicated.”

“Cui Dan? As a member of the Qinghe Cui Clan, we should show him some respect—but this matter concerns my future Dao attainment. Even if he has the greatest influence… we’ll deal with that afterward. Besides, I’ve heard of Cui Dan. A fellow Daoist from the Lu family of Wu Commandery wrote to me about him—he said that during his foundation refinement, he took a shortcut and barely scraped a third-grade foundation, just barely avoiding a mid-grade one.”

“And now he associates with such an unknown itinerant cultivator—clearly he’s useless.”

“If his elder brother, the famed ‘Qinghe Dao Broad’ Cui Yan, came here, I’d have some caution. But Cui Dan? Show him some face, don’t harm him…”

On the green stone boat, Qian Chen surveyed the vessel, recently repaired after an explosion the day before; traces of that incident still lingered on the central stone platform.

Cui Dan smiled: “Former… Master Qian, when I saw Zhen Daoren refining the elixir that day, I was truly startled—I thought I’d encountered another master! But it turned out you were using his hands to refine the Creation of Heaven and Earth. Still, I wonder what mystery lies within the Three Corpses Ten Thousand Toxins Elixir—I only saw Zhen Daoren’s three corpses sink into his marrow and blood, and he was instantly beyond saving!”

“But such a method that cuts lifespan and damages one’s origin cannot be the true mystery of this elixir.”

Qian Chen was slightly startled, then smiled: “Everyone sees only the elixir’s power to kill. Only you thought of the cultivation principle—you have some insight… The Three Corpses are the Three Corpses Demons. What are the Ten Thousand Toxins?”

Cui Dan pondered, recalling the scene that day, his spiritual insight stirred, then spoke: “The Ten Thousand Toxins are the toxins of the human heart. Master, you seemed to be refining the Three Corpses Demons born from the essence of that elixir—but you were also refining the human heart. From the moment Zhen Daoren’s greed arose, he became bait in the furnace.”

“Zhen Daoren’s greed, Wei Taiping’s obsession, Wei Lecheng’s anger… even the myriad shifts of human hearts during the elixir gathering—all these evils are toxins. The Three Corpses Demons weren’t merely born from the elixir’s essence—they were also nourished by the toxins of human hearts at the gathering. Master, you weren’t just refining the elixir with these Ten Thousand Toxins—you were refining your Dao heart.”

“By subduing these demonic thoughts and perceiving the transformations of the human heart, you could easily subdue the Three Corpses Demons after they emerged.”

“Because the Three Corpses Demons arose from the Ten Thousand Toxins of the heart, your Dao heart underwent the refining of subduing these Ten Thousand Toxins—this is truly an exalted method of subduing demons.”

“Heaven and Earth are the furnace; Creation is the craftsman; Yin and Yang are the charcoal; all things are the copper!” Qian Chen sighed.

Hearing this, Cui Dan felt a faint resonance, carefully savoring these eighteen characters—he felt a vast, all-encompassing aura surge toward him, and faintly sensed the mystery of Heaven and Earth’s creation; his reverence deepened.

“Where does this quote come from? It sounds familiar, but I can’t place it,” Cui Dan pondered for a while, then asked Qian Chen.

“If you must know, it’s from the Supreme Dao Ancestor!” Qian Chen replied casually.

“The Supreme Daoist Canon has five thousand scrolls, yet not a single word contains this phrase!” Cui Dan frowned: “Is it a secret scripture? The Dao Academy has published the Supreme Daoist Canon to the world, saying Daoist sects transmit the Dao but not the methods… This kind of profound truth, not involving cultivation techniques, should be in the Canon. The Canon is the foundation of all scholarly and metaphysical learning—I’ve read it since childhood; I couldn’t possibly forget it.”

Qian Chen was slightly surprised: This plagiarist “Supreme” hadn’t copied Jia Yi’s “Ode to the Owl”?

That shouldn’t be possible!

He had to keep making excuses: "This is a mind-to-mind transmission outside the scriptures—no written words!"

Cui Dan laughed: “Master, you’re using Buddhist stories to fabricate tales of the Dao Ancestor—if the Dao Academy finds out, they’ll charge you with grave disrespect!”

Qian Chen thought silently: You plagiarist “Supreme,” you even stole Zen Buddhist phrases—why did you miss this one? Are you the kind who cares about face?

In the minds of other Daoist cultivators, the Dao Ancestor was a profound, distant sage.

But in Qian Chen’s heart, every time he heard these familiar phrases, he couldn’t help but feel no reverence for this ancient celestial protagonist. The Supreme’s deepest black history was all hidden here.

At that moment, footsteps finally sounded on the stone boat.

Cui Dan rose to greet them—he had invited them, and though he disliked Guan Pingxuan, he still upheld proper etiquette. But when he stepped out of the boat and saw Master Pei walking beside Guan Pingxuan, his expression changed, showing clear displeasure—he wondered why Guan Pingxuan had brought an outsider without warning.

Master Pei, however, didn’t treat himself as an outsider. He entered the boat as if it were empty, walking straight to Qian Chen’s side.

Guan Pingxuan introduced: “This is Master Pei Junhu of the Jinchuan Gate, the foremost true disciple of Jiuzhen Immortal Sect. He is widely respected. Your quest for calamity requires Master Pei’s aid.”

Before Qian Chen could speak, Pei Junhu said: “You have the Ice Soul Cold Light Gangqi ?”

Cui Dan’s face darkened, his gaze shifting to Guan Pingxuan, his voice tinged with anger: “Sister Guan, is this what you meant by helping Master Qian find calamity? You brought back a master?”

Guan Pingxuan frowned slightly: “Master Pei does indeed possess the Taiyin True Calamity Master Qian needs. But he also wishes to exchange for Master Qian’s Ice Soul Cold Light Gangqi . Since both lack the corresponding calamity and Gangqi , why not negotiate? The one who offers the highest price gets the other’s calamity and Gangqi —this way, both benefit. Is that not ideal?”

Qian Chen sighed inwardly: “For this lineage of calamity, sacrificing external possessions is trivial. This is the only peaceful solution! Let me buy the Taiyin Calamity—I truly don’t want to kill for treasure anymore!”

Qian Chen, with utmost sincerity for peace, said: “Your suggestion is reasonable—why not…”

“No need!” Master Pei interrupted: “This Ice Soul Cold Light Gangqi is fundamental to my calamity condensation and Core Formation—this is a struggle for the Dao, allowing no retreat or compromise. I must have this! If you yield the Gangqi to me, I shall repay you in the future…”

His unspoken meaning was clear.

“The Dao allows only one thread of difference… No obstacle will make me retreat.”

Guan Pingxuan inwardly praised: “Master Pei has such unwavering Dao heart… This unyielding spirit before the Dao far surpasses the itinerant cultivator’s timidity.”

She added: “Master Pei seeks this Gangqi for his Core Formation. Master, you only need it for elixir refining—why not yield it? It would fulfill his pursuit of the Dao. Whatever elixirs you lack, the White Deer Gate and Jinchuan Gate can provide—why refine further?”

Cui Dan trembled with rage, standing up: “What elixirs? Can they compare to…”

“Cui brother…” Qian Chen called, pressing his shoulder, then smiling again: “Master, this elixir also concerns my future Dao attainment. Is there still room for compromise?”

Master Pei sighed: “The struggle for the Dao is life or death—how can it be compromised?”

“If I still insist…”

“Then it’s life or death!”

“Fine,” Qian Chen said calmly: “Master, you truly are ‘Dao Heart Unshakable’…”

Saying this, Qian Chen stepped back several paces, standing opposite Pei Junhu. He gestured for Cui Dan to move farther away; Pei Junhu waved for Guan Pingxuan to retreat. Guan Pingxuan sighed inwardly: “Truly… ignorant of death!” With that thought, she felt no guilt and stepped back, leaving the stone boat.